Can Meditation Help You Lose Weight?

Meditation is a centuries-old method for clearing the mind and calming the body. A few decades ago, it was known only as an Eastern religious practice or as mysteriously bohemian (the Beatles, for example, were avid meditators). But in recent years, meditation has gone mainstream.

Recommended as a stress-reducing technique by hospitals and doctors across the country, meditation's myriad benefits include reduced blood pressure, healthier arteries and an enhanced sense of well-being. With all these benefits going for it, meditation is an ideal tool for relaxation and self-discovery on the way to your weight goal.

Of course, a meditation practice involves more than a few deep breaths. But it is simple. "Meditation is about stopping and being present, that is all," writes Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, in Wherever You Go, There You Are; Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life. He adds, "Mostly we run around doing. Are you able to come to a stop in your life, even for one moment? Could it be this moment? What would happen if you did?"

What happens on the physical level is what Herbert Benson , MD, the Harvard doctor who initiated meditation studies in the 1970s, calls the "Relaxation Response." He discovered that during meditation, brain waves shift into a state similar to — and sometimes more relaxed than — sleep. This level of relaxation lowers the amount of stress hormones that can contribute to pain and illness.

Meditation can also clear a foundation for healthier thinking and feeling. "When you meditate, all the junk comes up, all the clutter," says Lahman. "The negative body images come up, the desires for certain foods come up, and the emotions that are attached to those desires come up. The more they surface, the more you can put them in your mental recycle bin and start with a clean slate."